Means to eliminate floating pin fault



Nov. 27, 1962 D, cERvEm 3,065,965

MEANS TO ELIMINATE FLOATING PIN FAULT Filed NOV. 9, 1961 fag? I 40 IN VEN TOR.

W! D CeraeZZZ' B United States Patent Ofitice 3,065,965 Patented Nov. 27, 1962 3,065,965 MEANS T0 ELIMINATE FLOATING PIN FAULT August I). Cervetti, 3086 University, Highland Park, Ill. Filed Nov. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 151,299 4 Claims. ((31. 273-43) This invention relates to automatic pin setting and ball return equipment for bowling and, more particularly, to an improved bowling ball door for eliminating floating pin fault.

Completely automatic pin setting and ball return equipment has been a relatively recent and very successful innovation in bowling alleys. One disadvantage in the equipment is that inherent to all unattended automatic equipment. Occasionally, the equipment malfunctions and becomes inoperative until a service man is available for correcting the fault. It is desirous to provide automatic equipment that avoids as many of these faulty conditions as possible.

One frequent fault in automatic pin setting machines is the floating pin fault occurring when a pin blocks the entrance of the bowling ball door through which the bowling ball leaves the bowling alley pit to be returned to the bowler. This is occasioned by the bowling pin catching or sticking by frictional engagement upon the entrance side of the bowling ball door. The bowling ball door is not only blocked, but the bowling ball will, as it moves toward the bowling ball door, contact the pin and wedge it against the door. In this manner, the return of the bowling ball is made impossible until an attendant goes to the bowling alley pit and moves the pin from the entrance of the bowling ball door. In the meantime, of course, activity on the bowling alley must cease.

Furthermore, floating pin fault may be caused by the pin and ball meeting at the bowling ball door in such a manner that the pin becomes wedged between the door and the ball. Floating pin fault occurring in this manner must likewise be remedied by an attendant.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means for eliminating the floating pin fault in automatic pin setting and ball return equipment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved bowling ball door which eliminates floating pin fault in automatic pin setting and ball return equipment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means to eliminate floating pin fault which may easily andinexpensively be installed upon existing bowling ball doors in automatic pin setting and ball return equipment without extensive modification thereof.

These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing the entrance side of a bowling ball door in an automatic pin setting and ball return arrangement with a protruding surface rotatable in the direction which the pin is to travel. Bowling pins moving toward the bowling ball door contact this protruding surface rather than the non-rotatable surfaces of the entrance side of the bowling ball door. Because this protruding surface is rotatable in the direction which the pin is to travel, the pin will move by the door rather than frictionally engage and become stuck upon its entrance side. In this manner, bowling pins will not stay in front of the bowling ball door and cause floating pin fault.

Furthermore, as will be more apparent hereinafter, even if a pin should become wedged between the bowling ball and the bowling ball door by the pin and ball unavoidably meeting in front of the bowling ball door, the protruding surface on the bowling ball door allows the pin to work itself out of the situation without a noticeable delay and without the aid of an attendant.

The invention, bath as to its organization and method of operation, taken with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of the end of a bowling alley and bowling alley pit having automatic pin setting and ball return equipment;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the bowling ball door and associated automatic pin setting and ball return equipment of the bowling alley shown in FIGURE 1, illustrating the position of a bowling pin and bowling ball during floating pin fault;

FIGURE 3 is a front view of a bowling ball door embodying the features of the present invention suitable for use in the bowling alley arrangement shown in FIG- URE l; and

FIGURE 4 is a view of the back of the bowling ball door shown in FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated a bowling alley, indicated generally by reference numeral 6, with a bowling alley pit, indicated generally by reference numeral 8, and automatic pin setting and ball return equipment. The longitudinally extending bowling alley 6 has gutters 10 on each side of a bowling surface 12. Bowling pins (not shown) are placed on the bowling surface 12 at one end of the bowling alley 6 in the well known triangular arrangement upon positioning marks 14 illustrated in FIGURE 1. From the other end of the bowling alley 6, the bowler rolls a bowling ball on the bowling surface 12 toward the bowling pins, the bowling ball entering the bowling alley pit 8 after coming off the end of the bowling alley 6. Any bowling pins which have been knocked over, dead wood, must be cleared or all the pins cleared and reset in their triangular arrangement, depending upon the frame in which the bowler is bowling and the number of times the bowler has rolled in that frame.

The automatic pin setting and ball return equipment clears the dead wood from the alley 6 into the alley pit 8 by means not shown in FIGURE 1 and forming no part of the present invention. Likewise, the automatic equipment will store these pins, automatically resetting ten of them on the alley 6 when appropriate, and return the bowling ball to a bowling ball rack at the end of the alley where the bowler is waiting.

To these ends the bowling alley pit 8 is provided with a conveyor, indicated generally by reference numeral 16, comprising power driven rollers 19 on which is mounted an endless belt 18. The belt 18 is driven in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1 to carry the bowling ball and pins away from the end of the bowling alley 6. The top of the conveyor 16 is at substantially the same level as the bottom of the alley gutters l0 and therefore below the level of the bowling surface 12. Extending transversely across the alley pit 8 is a suitably padded guide bar 20 which angles toward a bowling ball door 22 positioned in one of the longitudinal sides of the alley pit 8. The bowling ball door 22 is the exit for the bowling ball to the automatic equipment (not shown) which returns the ball to the bowling ball rack. The guide bar 20 is positioned at a sufiicient height above the conveyor 16 so that only fallen pins on the conveyor belt 18 move beneath it, the bowling ball being guided by the bar 20 to the bowling ball door 22. The conveyor 16 slopes gradually toward the bowling ball door 22 to assist in directing the bowling ball toward the bowling ball door 22.

In this manner, dead wood and the bowling ball on the conveyor 16 move toward the rear of the alley pit 8. The conveyor 16 carries the pins beneath the guide bar 20 toward the end of the bowling alley pit 8 where they are collected by other means (not shown) in the automatic pin setting arrangement and stored'or reset upon the alley 6. The bowling ball on the conveyor 16 hits the guide bar 28 and moves diagonally to the bowling ball door 22 and contacts actuating member 23 whereby the door 22 is automatically opened. The bowling ball goes through the bowling ball door 22 where the remainder of the automatic ball return equipment (not shown) returns it to the bowling ball rack at the other end of the alley 6.

Floating pin fault is illustrated in FIGURE 2. In this instance, a bowling pin 24, which was being transferred by the conveyor 16 toward the rear of the alley pit 3, became stuck at the entrance of the bowling ball door 22. The convex curves of the pin 24 frictionally engaged the concave surface of the entrance side of the bowling ball door. The frictional engagement between the pin 24 and the door 22 was greater than the frictional contact between the pin 24 and the conveyor 16 and therefore the conveyor 16 was unable to move the pin 24. With the bowling pin 24 stopped or temporarily halted at the entrance to the door 22, a bowling ball 26 traveling toward the bowling ball door 22 along the guide bar 28 wedges the bowling pin 24 against the door 22. As shown in FIGURE 2 the bowling pin 24 is therefore trapped and the bowling ball 26 prevented from going through the door 22.

Floating pin fault is remedied, and the automatic pin setting and ball return equipment returned to proper operation, by an attendant dislodging the bowling pin 24 from between the door 22 and the bowling ball 26. It

will be understood that floating pin fault may occur by the pin 24 and the ball 26 meeting in front of the bowling ball door 22 at precisely the appropriate instant for the pin 24 to become wedged between the ball 26 and the door 22. Of course, floating pin fault is infrequently caused in this manner, however, the effect is the same and it likewise must be remedied by an attendant dislodging the pin 24.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4 a bowling ball door 28 embodying the features of the present invention is illustrated. The bowling ball door 28 is a substantially circuit metallic member having a concave entrance surface 30. The door 28 is pivotally mounted upon a pin 32 by a frame 34 in a manner well known in this art and forming no part of the present invention. The bowling ball door 28 automatically opens when the bowling ball 26 depresses an actuating member 36 which extends through a hole 38 in the door 28. When the bowling ball 26 contacts the actuating member 36 the door 28 opens to allow the ball 26 to exit from the bowling alley pit 8, additional means in the automatic ball return equipment transferring the bowling ball 26 to the bowling ball rack in a manner well known in this art.

To this extent the bowling ball door 28 is similar to and operates in the same manner as the bowling ball door 22 illustrated in FIGURES l and 2. In addition, however, the bowling ball door 28 of the present invention has a rotatable surface or roller 40 protruding from the entrance side 30, this roller 40 preventing the bowling pin 24 from having substantial contact with the entrance side of the door 28. The roller 40 is rotatable in the direction in which the pin is traveling on the conveyor 16. It is mounted upon the door 28 and extends through a hole 42 in the door 28 in such a manner to protrude from the entrance side 30.

More particularly, the roller 40 is rotatably mounted upon a vertical shaft 44, the ends of which are secured to the exterior side of the door 28 by suitable mountings 46. Interposed between the roller 4-0 and the shaft 44 are ball or roller bearings (not shown) to minimize frictional resistance to the rotation of the roller 40. Though the roller 40 protrudes from the door 28 sufii- I ciently to prevent the pins from coming into substantial contact with the entrance side 30, it does not protrude sufiiciently to prevent the bowling ball 26 from contacting the. actuating member 36, which automatically opens the door 28 to remove the bowling ball 26 from the alley pit 8.

In this manner bowling pins moving toward the bowling pin door 28 contact the roller 48 and, because the roller 40 rotates in the direction in which the conveyor 16 is carrying the pins, move past the bowling ball door 22. Therefore, bowling pins do not have an opportunity to frictionally engage the entrance side 30 and will not delay or become stuck of their own accord in front of the door 28.

Furthermore, even if a bowling pin should meet a bowling ball at the entrance side of the bowling ball door 28 and become wedged between the door 28 and the ball, it will only be a temporary condition. The only substantial contact the pin will have with the door 28 in such a situation is with the roller 40 which is rotatable in the direction the conveyor 16 carries the pins.

As the protruding surface 40 offers little or no frictional resistance to the pins movement, the conveyor 16 has the greater frictional engagement with the pin and forces it past the bowlin g ball that has temporarily halted the pins movement. This is in contrast to the door 22 where the pins frictional engagement with the door 22 may be greater than the pins frictional engagement with the conveyor 16, whereby the latter is unable to move the pin out of a floating pin fault situation.

It will be understood that though the roller 48 has been illustrated rotatably mounted upon a fixed shaft 44, that the same results are achieved by fixedly mounting the roller 40 upon a rotatable shaft suitably held by ball or roller bearings. It will be further understood that the roller 46 may be rotatably mounted upon the entrance side of the door 28 and, furthermore, that a plurality of protruding, rotatable surfaces 40 may be employed.

While several embodiments described herein are at present considered to be preferred, it is understood that various modifications and improvements may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and improvements as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is desired to be claimed and secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an automatic pin setting and ball return arrangement in a bowling alley with a bowling alley pit, including a conveyor in said bowling alley pit for moving the bowling pins and bowling ball from said bowling alley and a bowling ball door in said bowling alley pit through which said bowling ball leaves the bowling alley pit to be returned to a bowling alley rack, said bowling ball door having an entrance side and an actuating member protruding from said entrance side, said bowling ball contacting said actuating member to open said bowling ball door, the improvement comprising said bowling ball door having a hole therein, a roller rotatably mounted on said bowling ball door below said actuating member, a portion of said roller extending through said hole and protruding outwardly from the entrance side of said bowling ball door at a level for engaging said bowling pins on said conveyor, said roller protruding outwardly from said entrance side sufiiciently to prevent said bowling pins from coming into substantial contact with said entrance side but insufliciently to prevent said bowling ball from contacting said actuating member, said roller being mounted upon a vertically extending shaft for low friction rotational movement in the direction said conveyor carries said pins.

2. In an automatic pin setting and ball return arrangement in a bowling alley with a bowling alley pit, including a conveyor in said bowling alley pit for moving the bowling pins and bowling ball from said bowling alley and a bowling ball door in said bowling alley pit through which said bowling ball leaves the bowling alley pit to be returned to a bowling alley rack, said bowling ball door having an entrance side and an actuating member protruding from said entrance side, saidbowling'ball conilc tacting said actuating member to open said bowling ball door, the improvement comprising a rotatable surface mounted on said bowling ball door, said rotatable surface protruding from the entrance side of said bowling ball door below said actuating member sufiiciently to prevent said bowling pins on said conveyor from coming into substantial contact with said entrance side but insufiiciently to prevent said bowling ball from contacting said actuating member, said surface being rotatable in the direction said conveyor carries said bowling pins.

3. In an automatic pin setting and ball return arrangement in a bowling alley with a bowling alley pit, including a conveyor in said bowling alley pit for moving the bowling pins and bowling ball from said bowling alley and a bowling ball door in said bowling alley pit through which said bowling ball leaves the bowling alley pit to be returned to a bowling alley rack, said bowling ball door having an entrance side and an actuating member protruding from said entrance side, said bowling ball contacting said actuating member to open said bowling ball door, the improvement comprising a roller rotatably mounted on said bowling ball door, said roller protruding from said entrance side of said bowling ball door below said actuating member sufiiciently to prevent said bowling pins on said conveyor from coming into substantial contact with said entrance side but insufficiently to prevent said bowling ball from contacting said actuating member, said roller being rotatable in the direction said conveyor carries said pins.

4. In an automatic pin setting and call return arrange ment in a bowling alley with a bowling alley pit, including a conveyor in said bowling alley pit for moving the bowling pins and bowling ball from said bowling alley and a bowling ball door in said bowling alley pit through which said bowling ball leaves the bowling alley pit to be returned to a bowling alley rack, said bowling ball door having an entrance side and an actuating member protruding from said entrance side, said bowling ball contacting said actuating member to open said bowling ball door, the improvement comprising said bowling ball door having a hole therein, a roller rotatably mounted on said bowling ball door below said actuating member, a portion of said roller extending through said hole and protruding from the entrance side of said bowling ball door sufiiciently to prevent said bowling pins on said conveyor from coming into substantial contact with said entrance side but insufficiently to prevent said bowling ball from contacting said actuating member, said roller being mounted upon a vertically extending shaft for low friction rota tional movement in the direction said conveyor carries said pins.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,065,965 November 27,, 1962 Augustll; Cervetti It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below Column 1 line 71, for "bath" read both column 3, line ll for "circuit" read circular Signed and sealed this 14th day of May 1963;

.W FA A t test: ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of 7 Patents 

